The Surprising God

In  Jesus Ascended, the Meaning of Christ's Continuing Incarnation  (T&T Clark, 2004)  Gerrit Scott Dawson (pictured at left) shows how vital it is to understand Jesus' ascension as God still in human (though now glorified) flesh.  As the ascended God-man, Jesus is our High Priest. He now resides bodily and intercedes continuously for us from heaven. And through his Spirit he lives in us and with us here on earth. In these ways he shares with us the eternal life that is his in communion with the Father and the Spirit. The ascended Jesus is our life - our "place" - with God (see John 14:2). Dawson quotes Andrew Murray: As Son, Christ alone was heir of all that God had. All the life of the Father was in Him. God could have no union or fellowship with any creature but through His beloved Son, or as far as the life and spirit and image of the Son was seen in it. If our salvation was not to be a merely legal one - external and, I may say, artificial - but an entranc...

John 17:3 (New International Version) Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. This is SO profound! The primary hallmark of eternal life, the thing that the Spirit-inspired writer tells us, is that the concept of "eternal life" can only be understood in RELATIONAL terms (THIS is eternal life: that they may KNOW You!). Yes - by knowing God the Father and the Son He sent, anointed by the Spirit. Eternal life is ALL about knowing God the Father and His Son, in the Spirit, in Truth! Comprehending the heart of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in their pure, from-all-time, beautiful, other-centered love relationship (they are ONE!) is posited by John as THE DEFINITION of eternal life! Any notion of eternal life we may have that is APART from seeing THIS God is a poor, distorted caricature at best. How do we "know" God? Understanding that God is Trinity and understanding the AWESOME implications of THAT ...

In the spirit of Holy Week, I offer words of inspiration from pastor and theologian Gerrit Scott Dawson (pictured at right). Dawson's writings wonderfully "flesh-out" a Trinitarian theology. The quote below is from his excellent book, "I am with You Always." Because the cross of Christ's agony is a gift to us, we may go there with our sorrows and pain. We bring our situations to the cross and let them feel the touch of God in the cross. When we find a connection point between the terrible, suspending pain of our trials and the cross of Christ, we see there God's touch. He takes our pain unto himself and tends it. He can redeem the situations of our lives so that, beyond hope, something good can come even in the worst situation.... Jesus the man of sorrows lived and died in the affliction of humanity. He is intimately acquainted with all our pains. But hear the news:...He still attends to the grief of this mortal life. This Christ still lives in us th...

Holy Week is near - our annual remembrance and celebration of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. This is not only Jesus' story - it's the story of all humanity. For by grace, and in love, Jesus united himself (and remains united) to all humanity as our representative and substitute. This is the gospel truth. The one who died on the cross on Good Friday, was buried dead in the tomb on Holy Saturday, and then emerged alive from the tomb on Easter Sunday morning was (and is) fully human and fully divine. Jesus' resurrection (glorification) did not mean that he ceased to be human. Indeed, he remains "flesh and bones" (Luke 24:39) - fully human (though now a glorified human). And Jesus continues to be fully God. As the unique God-man (God-in-the-flesh), he continues to be our representative and our substitute. Thus the story of Holy Week is Jesus' story and ours. Notice what Paul says about this in Romans 6:3-14. ...Do you not know that all of...

I have been reading the blog and have learned so much about Christ centered theology from the comments made by my fellow pastors and have also been reading the books recommended on the blog. I do have a question in regards to Romans 8:9 where Paul says that "if you don't have the Holy Spirit you don't belong to Christ. Romans 8:9 (NRSV): "But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." How can a person be "in Christ" apart from the Holy Spirits living in them? My answer would be that the Holy Spirit does live in a person but the person has not yet acknowledged it therefore does not follow Christ or "belong to Him" yet in their mind? Terry Lambert Pastor Abilene, TX

The more I learn about the Triune God, the more I am finding that this "rediscovery" of the Trinity is being experienced all over the Christian world. The Worldwide Church of God is not alone in coming to greater understanding of Trinitarian theology. And it's not just Baxter Kruger or the Torrance brothers. It's kind of like when you buy a new car; you start seeing that model everywhere. I've noticed many in the Christian world are reexamining our faith from the viewpoint of the Trinity, and it excites me! I just found an interview with Larry Crabb on Christianity Today's website that is wonderful. Regarding his vision for the formation of caring congregations, Mr. Crabb was asked whether his idea can be taught. He replied: "It starts with a recognition of impoverished theology. Eugene Peterson was scheduled to appear at a conference on spiritual formation. I phoned him to ask what he would speak on. 'Our Trinitarian theology in the evangelical...

There are many ways to summarize the good news of our inclusion in God's life through our union with Jesus. Here is one from Paul: "Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right " (Romans 5:18-19, The Message , Eugene H. Peterson). The good news is that all humanity has been "put right" with God. Though once condemned because of the disobedience of Adam (Romans 5:18a) "all men" now have "justification that brings life" (5:18b, NIV) through the obedience of the second Adam, Jesus. And now the call goes out to all to repent (change their thinking about God and themselves), embrace Jesus (join their faith to the faith of Jesus) and live the life that is t...

As we discuss Christ-centered (trinitaian) theology, a key issue is how we live out individually and together our inclusion with Jesus in God's triune life and love. This inclusion is not a concept - it's real life shared with a real person - Jesus! Unfortunately, Christian living and ministry is often reduced to mere programs and strategies. And while these have their place, they are of value only as they assist and enhance Spirit-led participation with Jesus in his living and loving in our world. Ministry as relational participation places the emphasis where I think it rightfully belongs: relationships that embrace and reflect the life of the Trinity. Consider our participation with Jesus in family relationships (an appropriate ministry concern). This topic is helpfully addressed in the book “Ecstasy and Intimacy” by Edith M. Humphrey. On page 157 she makes what I think is an essential point: through human fellowship (marriage, family and friendship), we experience “echoe...

God's holiness is often expressed as "moral perfection" (i.e. separation from "worldliness" and sin). But this moral view of holiness fails to apprehend the ultimate ground of holiness which is God's triune relationship of love as Father, Son and Spirit. This trinitarian - relational basis of God's holiness (we might speak of his "wholeness") is from all eternity, precedes creation, and thus precedes the presence of sin and evil. L.T. Jeyachandran expounds a trinitarian view of holiness in one of the chapters in Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend, edited by Ravi Zacharias (Thomas Nelson, 2007). Here's an excerpt (and thanks to Jerome Ellard for telling me about this book): If I were awakened suddenly in the middle of the night and asked this question, “What is holiness?” my instinctive answer would be “Absence of sin!” Although that may be enough of an answer for our understanding of holiness because of our fallenness a...

Jeff McSwain The Jan./Feb. 2008 issue of The Journal of Student Ministries includes the article "Reconsidering the 'Non-Negotiables'" by Christian Smith (Notre Dame) and Douglas Campbell (Duke Divinity School). The article is written in defense of Jeff McSwain and other staffers recently fired from Young Life (YL) for advocating a Trinitarian view of the gospel - one grounded fully in God's triune nature and Jesus' incarnation. Though Smith and Campbell acknowledge that Young Life has a valuable ministry and that their teachings are, in balance, fully orthodox, they believe that YLs position on how the gospel should be presented to teens is "defective" in that it espouses a "conditional and sequential understanding of salvation" that is dependent upon our own "human repentance and faith." They note that "the theological commitment entailed in [YL's] position is a belief that God saves us because we repent - that ...

Jeff McSwain As disciples of Jesus it is our calling and privilege to share the gospel with believers and non-believers, as we "go" (Matthew 28:19). How we understand and present the gospel necessarily flows from our understanding of who God is (call this our "working theology"). Jeff McSwain of Reality Ministries wrestles with his working theology in the context of sharing the gospel with teens. He argues against a gospel that flows from a theology that sees a separation between God and mankind (viewing God as separate from sinners until they repent); and thus a separation within the Godhead (seeing a Jesus that lovingly touches sinners, but a Father who remains separate until sinners repent). McSwain notes that God the Father is not separate (alienated) from sinners. He is the loving father in Jesus' parable who is unrestrained in reaching out to love his prodigal son even in the depths of the son's depravity. God (Father, Son and Spirit) is fully ...

Understanding Barth’s view of Scripture is particularly relevant to the time in which we live, especially since “higher criticism” has caused many to question the validity of the bible. The beauty and importance of Barth’s theology is that it is Christocentric, rather than Bibliocentric. The bible tells us in John that “the Word was made flesh,” and Barth says: “absolutely, that’s the point.” In appealing to the Jesus as the Word, Barth advocates not attempting to read Scripture in isolation, but rather that it is the only ancient book that you can read with the author present as you read. God’s presence, as we study the bible is enlivened and made true as it can be only through the indwelling of God’s Spirit. It cannot be emphasized enough that Jesus is the only perfect revelation of God – his express image to quote the author of Hebrews. The bible is most certainly an inspired collection of books, but it is not equal to Jesus as if God can be reduced to writing on pages. The authori...

Critics of Trinitarian (Christ-centered) Theology often charge that it comes with a "low" view of Scripture. This has frequently been leveled at Karl Barth (pictured on right) - a chief proponent of Trinitarian Theology in the 20th century. In response to this charge, I offer the following thoughts (my thanks to Joseph Tkach for sharing with me the content of point #2): 1. Trinitarian Theology does not rise or fall with Karl Barth. He was a prominent teacher of this theological vision, but certainly not the only one. The historic roots of Trinitarian Theology are found in Scripture itself, and in the teachings of the early church fathers (including Athanasius) who sought a theological vision true to the Jesus revealed in Scripture. Many teachers and theologians have articulated a Trinitarian Theology down the centuries, including in our 21st century (see the J anuary 16, 2008 post listing contemporary theologians who advocate Trinitarian Theology). 2. I do not think it ...

Trinitarian Theology is transforming my mind and my life in so many ways. I am seeing my wife, my boys, my family, my friends, my church, people I do like and even people I don't like in a much different way. It has also changed the way I see myself. No more condemnation. No more shame. No more guilt. In one word FREEDOM! Freedom to be all that I've always been in Christ. I came to believe various aspects of Trinitarian Theology before I knew it was called that and before I heard of theologians such as Baxter Kruger or Karl Barth. It wasn't just another band wagon I decided to jump on. I simply began to see scriptures I had never seen before. My paradigm shift wasn't easy. The shift continues even now. It has taken years, not weeks or months. It has in fact been painful as growth often is. This is what happens when our darkness is exposed to the Light that is Jesus. Our pride takes a direct hit when we realize that what we've learned, believed and ev...

What is the role of Scripture in Christ-centered (trinitarian) preaching? Consider the following from Eugene Peterson (quoted from “Living into God’s Story” - click here to read the full paper): Scripture…does not so much present us with a moral code and tell us, "Live up to this," nor does it set out a system of doctrine and say, "Think like this." The biblical way is to tell a story and invite us, "Live into this - this is what it looks like to be human in this God-made and God-ruled world; this is what is involved in becoming and maturing as a human being." We don't have to fit into prefabricated moral and mental or religious boxes before we are admitted into the company of God. We are taken seriously just as we are and given place in his story - for it is, after all, God's story. None of us is the leading character in the story of our lives. God is the larger context and plot in which all our stories find themselves. How can we most ...

Transformative preaching and worship is trinitarian and God-centered, facilitating joy-filled communion with the Father, Son and Spirit through our union with Jesus. Sadly, preaching and worship is often unitarian and person-centered. This is the concern of Michael J. Quicke in "Beware Tuneless Preaching." Following is an excerpt. Too much contemporary preaching and worship misses out the Trinity. In a provocative analysis, James B. Torrance [in Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace ]   sharply contrasts what he terms unitarian and trinitarian practices of worship. Of course, orthodox preachers rigorously reject any association with the formal teaching of Unitarianism, that God is one person only, with unacceptable denial of the divinity of Christ and of the Holy Spirit. However, Torrance demonstrates that ironically such preachers may actually practice forms of worship that are Unitarian, because they are closed to Christ’s continuing work and the Holy Spirit. ...

Referencing “The Adopted Life”, Vol. 1, Issue 2, pp. 7-8, Jonathan Stepp says that the context for reading the Bible is the Word of God, meaning the Son of God who became flesh. The Bible is where we should have received our concept of who Jesus is and what He has done. If this is where we received this concept then why would we, as he put it, have to conform the Bible to this picture of Jesus? The bible represents our revelation from God, and it contains the original objective information describing the Son who became flesh and lived among mankind. The biblical description and teachings of Jesus and the teachings from his apostles should already be conformed to each other without our having to make adjustments to harmonize them. His picture of Jesus tells him that the apostle John cannot mean that one is condemned because he does not believe in the Son of God. He says that not believing will only mean that one will go on believing his own lie that he is condemned. He only feels lost a...

The following post from Rick Shallenberger addresses the meaning of Acts 2:38 and the issue of baptism.  Many look at Acts 2:38 as a formula of how to do right by God. Here Peter says: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” So the verse seems to give us a step-by-step process that leads to salvation: 1) Be baptized, 2) Be forgiven, 3) Receive the Holy Spirit. It seems clear on it’s own. But if this is true, then isn’t baptism a work we “must do” in order to be saved? And if that is the case, we have a problem because that contradicts the gospel. Let’s put Acts 2:38 into context. The day is Pentecost and the many Jews have made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Holy Day. While the disciples were all together, a sound like a strong wind came and the Holy Spirit filled the room. The disciples started speaking in foreign languages. (We know these were l...

1 The Triune God created all people to participate through the vicarious humanity of Jesus Christ in the love relationship enjoyed by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 2 The Son became human, the man Jesus Christ, to reconcile all humanity to God through his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. 3 The crucified, resurrected and glorified Jesus is the representative and the substitute for humanity at the right hand of God, and he draws all people to himself by the power of the Holy Spirit. 4 In Christ, humanity is loved and accepted by the Father. 5 Jesus Christ paid for all our sins – past, present and future – and there is no longer any debt to pay. 6 The Father has in Christ forgiven all our sins, and he eagerly desires that we turn to him. 7 We can enjoy his love only when we believe that he loves us. We can enjoy his forgiveness only when we believe he has forgiven us. 8 When we respond to the Spirit by turning to God, believing the good news and pic...

Readers of this blog may be interested in an article in Christianity Today by Philip Yancey (author of "What's So Amazing About Grace"). His article is titled Ongoing Incarnation...Would Christmas have come even if we had not sinned? Yancey revisits a debate between 13th century theologians Thomas Aquinas (from Italy) and John Duns Scotus (from Britain): Was Jesus' incarnation an accommodation to human failure or was it the center point of all creation? Duns Scotus asserted that the incarnation was the reason for creation itself, not just a correction to the fall. Agreeing with Duns Scotus, Yancey muses: "Perhaps God spun off this vast universe for the singular purpose of sharing life and love, intending all along to join its very substance." I think Duns Scotus and Yancey are correct, though I would describe the original plan as adoption (Eph. 1:5), which, in turn, is worked out through creation (Genesis 1) and then through incarnation (John 1:14) to ...

Jerome Ellard shares the following quote from JB Torrance's book "Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace." Torrance contrasts what he terms the "experience model" of Christianity with a model that emphasizes our participation in Jesus' life for us with the Father through the Spirit. To illustrate the limitations of the experience model, Torrance addresses the "point of salvation." The experience model locates this point at the moment of a "personal decision" for Jesus, when there is typically a profound personal experience of conversion to Christ. Torrance comments on the limitations of seeing salvation principally from the persective of personal experience (the "experience model")-and note that what is shown in brackets are my clarifying additions to the words of Torrance. "I was asked by a student, 'What is wrong with that [experience] model? That is me! I was converted two years ago and gave my life to Chri...

In Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics , Graeme Goldsworthy expands upon the thesis that the gospel (and by that he means the gospel of the person of Jesus Christ) is the definitive key to all Christian hermeneutics (biblical interpretation).  Commenting on Goldsworthy's book on the Reformation Theology website ( click here to read the whole article) J.W. Hendryx asserts that Errors and inconsistencies in our understanding of Bible texts occur when our interpretation is less than Christ-centered... Unless our study, however diligent, leads us to see that all Scripture points to Jesus Christ, our study is in vain. I agree wholeheartedly with his assertion (though I might disagree with some of his conclusions in the full article). In my view, the issue of being fully "Christ-centered" is indeed the "crux" of what we're discussing in this blog. How, we are asking, does Jesus Christ himself shape our approach to Scripture? In this we are clearly acknowled...

On my personal blog http://www.godlikesyou.wordpress.com/ , I promised to re-translate my last post on our struggle to believe the Good News of Jesus Christ! Consider it “The Message” version of Karl Barth’s writing on the sidebar of this blog! I got colorful and broad in the re-translation but I believe it faithfully represents what Barth was trying to get across to us in our struggle! Enjoy! “Let’s imagine God talking to a person about the Good News of who they already are in Jesus. The person to whom it is said thinks God is crazy and says that they are not this new, peaceful, joyful person living in fellowship with Him. The person is convinced there is no such person and, if there is, it certainly isn’t them (because they supposedly know themselves better than God does.) The Word of grace replies: “I can appreciate your honesty, but you are embracing a lie and I am telling you the truth. Allow me to tell you the truth about yourself. After all, I created you and know way more than ...

In defining the content of the gospel message, consider Paul's introduction in Ephesians: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves" (Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV). This amazing statement tells us several things about the scope of the gospel: 1. Where? The gospel involves blessings from God that come to humankind "in Christ." It is in (and only in) union with Jesus that humankind receives from God what Paul refers to as "every spiritual blessing." 2. When? Though Paul does not here say explicitly when humans would receive these blessings, he does say that God *predete...

The following is from Paul Smith. 1 Cor. 2:9 “However, as the scripture says, ‘What no one ever saw or heard, what no one ever thought could happen, is the very thing God prepared for those who love him’.” (TEV) What is this mystery God is unfolding? God is love. (1 Jn. 4) Love always implies communion and fellowship among persons. The Father loves the Son in communion with the Spirit, and the Son loves the Father in communion with the Spirit! And God – the Father, Son and Spirit -- loves humanity! (Rom. 8:9) (1 Jn. 4:9-10) ( NLT) When did God start loving us? And when was it decided that the Son would enter the physical creation and become flesh? 1 Cor. 2:7-13 “The wisdom I proclaim is God’s secret wisdom … which he had already chosen for our glory even before the world was made.” It was before time began that the decision for creating humanity and for healing and preserving them was made – made because of God’s love! All predestined – before the ages ...